Double touch controversy: Champions League storm forces rule tweak

After many complaints, the football law that saw Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez’s penalty ruled out in a Champions League shootout against Real Madrid has been officially amended. 

Following the outcry after Alvarez's disallowed spot-kick contributed to Atletico's European exit, the LaLiga club complained to UEFA. 

The European governing body indicated they would discuss the relevant law with FIFA, football's world governing body, and the International Football Association Board (IFAB), which sets the laws of the game.

IFAB has now determined that if a penalty taker accidentally makes contact with the ball using both feet, and the kick is successful, it must now be retaken. 

The news marks a shift from the previous interpretation, which typically resulted in the kick being recorded as a miss.

“(When) the penalty taker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet simultaneously or the ball touches their non-kicking foot or leg immediately after the kick: If the kick is successful, it is retaken,” the IFAB circular reads. 

“If the kick is unsuccessful, an indirect free kick is awarded (unless the referee plays advantage when it clearly benefits the defending team) or, in the case of penalties (penalty shoot-out), the kick is recorded as missed.

“This situation is rare, and as it is not directly covered in Law 14, referees have understandably tended to penalise the kicker for having touched the ball again before it has touched another player, thus awarding an indirect free kick to the opposition or, in the case of penalties (penalty shoot-out), recording the kick as missed,”

Alvarez initially believed he had scored during his side’s Champions League last-16 second-leg penalty shootout, with the stadium scoreboard reflecting a 2-2 score. 

However, Real Madrid players immediately protested a double touch, and a VAR review led to referee Szymon Marciniak disallowing the goal. 

Los Blancos subsequently advanced to the quarter-finals after further misses from Atletico players.